This invention relates to a device for use in marking a point on a wall where a fastener should be installed in order to hang an object at a desired location on the wall.
The process of hanging a picture on a wall can be very frustrating. Most pictures are hung by a cord or wire that is strung across a back surface of the picture. The cord or wire hangs over a nail or other fastener anchored in the wall Because the exact position of the cord or wire cannot be seen while the picture is held in place against the wall, it is very difficult to determine the exact location on the wall where the nail or other fastener should be anchored in order to hang the picture at the desired location on the wall. Thus, locating the nail or other fastener in the correct position on the wall often requires repeated efforts, resulting in several holes being made in the wall.
Due to these and other difficulties, the prior art is replete with devices that are intended to assist in locating of pictures on walls. Representative examples of such prior art devices include those described in: Pfeffer, U.S. Pat. No. 3,516,165; Eisen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,309; Radecki, U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,510; Bendick, U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,337; Greene, U.S. Pat. No. 4,455,756; Faulkner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,957; Dameron, U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,860; Asmus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,690; Floyd, U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,776; Houck, U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,611; Aydelott, U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,154; Hindall, U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,135; Farris, U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,760; Kelly et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,213; Sloop, U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,318; Karon, U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,917; Deaton, U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,142; and Gruenberg et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,049,991.
Although there are many prior art devices for locating pictures on walls, there is substantial room for improvement. It will be appreciated that most prior art devices can only be used with one type of fastener. In other words, such devices are not adaptable for use with different types and sizes of fasteners. Additionally, some of the prior art devices do not take into account the stretching of a rear-mounted cord or wire when the picture is hung. Another limitation in some prior art devices is the inability to locate the position of two hangers, which are sometimes necessary to hang large objects. Finally, many of the prior art devices cannot be adapted to locate the position on a wall where a fastener should be attached in order to hang the object from a toothed metal hanger, rather than a cord or wire. A device is needed that can overcome the limitations of the prior art.
The present invention provides a device for use in marking a point on a wall where a fastener should be installed in order to hang an object at a desired location on the wall. A device according to the invention comprises: an elongate frame having an elongate slot, the frame adapted to be positioned adjacent to a back surface of the object; a ledge projecting from the frame, the ledge adapted to be positioned in contact with a top surface of the object; a carriage supported by the frame adapted for reciprocating movement along the slot; a pin carried by the carriage, the pin terminating on a first end in a stylus that extends in a direction away from the back surface of the object when the frame is positioned adjacent thereto; a plurality of hooks carried by the carriage, the hooks being disposed at predetermined distances below the pin; and means for temporarily holding the carriage in a fixed position relative to the frame. In the preferred embodiment, the means for temporarily holding the carriage in a fixed position relative to the frame comprises a knob that holds a threaded bolt that extends through said elongate slot and engages a nut on an opposite side of said carriage.
In use, the elongate frame is positioned against the back surface of the object to be hung and the ledge is positioned in contact with the top surface of the object. Preferably, the elongate frame further comprises a peak or groove for aligning the longitudinal axis of the slot with the midpoint of the top surface of the object. If the object has a hanging cord or wire, the cord or wire is placed over the pin or the appropriate hook for the particular fastener being used, and the carriage is moved along the elongate slot toward the ledge until there is tension on the cord or wire. The threaded knob or other means is then used to temporarily hold the carriage in a fixed position relative to the frame. Placement of the object against a wall causes the stylus to mark the exact location on the wall where the fastener should be anchored in order hang the object where desired.
The device according to the present invention can be used to apply tension to the hanging cord in order to mark the exact location for desired placement. The carriage carries a plurality hooks that can be used to support the hanging cord depending upon the particular fastener being used. The plurality of hooks are located at different predetermined distances below the pin. This allows the user to correctly mark the wall where the fastener should be anchored, even when fasteners of different sizes and types are used. For large picture objects, more than one device according to the present invention may be used. The device is small enough that two will easily fit across the top surface of the object Tensioning the hanging cord with two devices will correctly simulate how the object will hang from fasteners, which can be of different types.
The device according to the present invention can also be used to mark a point on a wall where a fastener should be installed in order to hang an object at a desired location using a toothed metal hanger or other similar support structure instead of a hanging cord. Once the device is centered on the top surface of the objection and located adjacent to the rear of the object, the carriage is moved along the elongate slot until a portion of a second end of the pin that passes through the carriage and extends in a direction toward the back surface of the object fits into the desired xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d of the toothed metal hanger or location on the other similar support structure. The carriage can then be locked in place using the knob or other means. Placement of the object against a wall causes the stylus to mark the exact location on the wall where the fastener should be anchored in order hang the object where desired.
The foregoing and other features of the invention are hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the present invention may be employed.